In Palace Dog, R.E. Nelson uses a complete lack of emotive language to portray the glut of emotions felt when worlds are ripped apart and people and relationships are the casualties. He makes it look easy.

Author Bio:R.E. Nelson was born in Texas and raised in Southern California. He has been writing for as long as he can remember. One of his earliest recollections related to writing is winning an essay contest in sixth grade--something patriotic about the American flag. When he travels, his preference is staying in select areas for an extended period of time and learning about that place. He has lived in both Vietnam (twice, actually) and Saudi Arabia, and also spent time in Egypt, South Korea, Shanghai (his only China visit thus far), and Dubai. Now he is happy to call San Francisco home.Where to find the author:Twitter: @RENelson13Publisher: Dreamspinner PressCover Artist: Paul Richmond

Blurb(s):In April 1975, as the government in Saigon is falling, Michael Andrews prepares to make his way back to Vietnam to find the love he was forced to leave.

But Michael’s journey begins four years earlier. He joins the Air Force to keep out of the Army and out of Vietnam, but his first assignment is teaching English in Saigon to members of the Vietnamese military in an Army program called Palace Dog.

As an artist, and a man, before his time in Vietnam, Michael found life lonely and unsatisfying. In the midst of war, Michael searches for direction and meaning. He ultimately finds love and hope with Thao, a young Vietnamese art student, only to have their already uncertain future wrenched from them when he is pulled out of the country.

For Michael, his return in 1975 is inevitable and without question, though the outcome he hopes for is anything but assured.Categories: Gay Fiction, Historical, M/M Romance

Excerpt: The cyclo had bumped across the bridge, following the curve in the road, then moved quickly down the final straight stretch, past houses and shops, past rows of trees and walls and occasional open spaces, past vendors who lined the street’s edge selling gasoline in glass bottles. Motorcycles, Lambretta mini-buses packed with people, cream-and-blue Renault taxis, pedestrians with baskets and boxes—all crowded the street. Noises, smells, and smoke came from everywhere, and as the driver increased his speed, I smiled, gripping the metal frame tighter and pushing slightly with my feet as the moist wind rushed around me.Speeding through the streets of Saigon, wearing the green Air Force-issued jungle fatigues, my life of a year ago seemed unreal.Pages or Words: 206 pages

I work in a service industry. To begin with, I trained for the job because employment was pretty much guaranteed and conditions seemed good. I didn't realise I'd enjoy it, or become passionate about what I do. I do, and I have, and that means that most days don't feel like work to me.

Being focused on providing a service, however, means that sometimes I lose focus on limits. I'm in a position where I choose the opening hours of the library I manage and I've found those hours stretching out longer and longer, until I don't get home until after dark and I'm absolutely shattered at the end of the day. Bottom line is, my writing has been shoved into second place again, often third place.

I learned the hard way several years ago, that if I don't have balance in my life, I burn out. With me, that manifests in my voice. I once had twelve months with no voice. I'm not going back to that.

So I've begun wresting control back again. We're a specialist library, not a public one, so if someone isn't working, I ask them to leave. They can go to the public library if they want to meet friends and chat. Yesterday (Friday), I decided I needed to leave a half hour early, so I went around and told all the patrons they were leaving half an hour early.

You know what? The world didn't end. I got home half an hour earlier than usual and felt more relaxed than I have for weeks. I didn't write but I did spend a couple of hours on edits for Just the Way You Are, which is coming out in a month or so. We're at the proofing stage, so it's getting close.

I think I'll do it again. Maybe sometime soon. I have a short story in my head that needs writing and that half-hour early one day would be the perfect amount of time to get the bones of it down.

Check out this great series from MLR Press. Some of my favourite authors have written books in this series so, for me, it's a must. I'm sure you'll love it too.

Blurb(s):Storming Love: Blizzard – Jens & Elliot by Sara York (release date: 1/23/15)Jens Arnesen is only looking for a taste of the city, a place to experience Boston. What he finds is a sexy naked man who ends up being more than he bargained for. Elliot Matthews needs a place to stay until the storm blows over and the airports open. Being walked in on by Jens starts out as an annoyance but grows into the best thing in his life. When the skies clear and the airports open, they have no choice but to part. If only they lived closer to each other then life would be perfect.When the storm throws them together, can Jens and Elliot make the most of the situation?Storming Love: Blizzard – Kimo & Mike by Neil Plakcy (release date: 1/30/15)Former competitive surfer and Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka is in his element in his home state of Hawaii. But a ski trip with his partner, fire investigator Mike Riccardi, knocks him off balance. As a bitter storm rages outside the condo where they’re staying, one of Mike’s college buddies is feuding with his wife and the other is making sexy overtures to Kimo. Will these tensions ruin the vacation and perhaps even drive a wedge between Kimo and Mike?

Storming Love: Blizzard – Seth & Casey by RJ Scott (release date: 2/6/15)The blizzard of the century has stranded teacher Casey McGuire and pupils at a country retreat. As a last resort and fearing for their lives he calls his ex, fireman Seth Wild. The same man who promised that he would always be there for Casey.Seth is on sick leave after a terrible accident leaves him near dead. He's wallowing in self pity and he's already driven away the only man who cared about him. Casey. When he receives the call, he is the only person left to help and nothing will stop him.Because if Seth can't help, then very possibly Casey and the kids won't make it out of this alive.Storming Love: Blizzard – Layne, River & Damion by Vicktor Alexander (release date: 2/13/15)It has taken Damion Martin six months to finally start to get over the startling break-up from his partner Layne Haylse. They’d been high school sweethearts and blissfully in love. Then the man suddenly wanted nothing to do with him. Having to work with him at Yale University almost every day made the separation that much harder. Meeting the young marketing major, River Cunningham, may just be the ticket to helping Damion heal.But they say that to every story there’s two sides, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. When a harrowing blizzard crashes through Connecticut, trapping all three men inside the campus library, they will soon find that sometimes things aren’t as black and white as they seem. When the truth is revealed, it may change their lives forever.Storming Love: Blizzard – Gavin & Morgan by Nicole Dennis (release date: 2/20/15)Drained from forecasting both hurricanes and twisters, Gavin Larson, a meteorologist, accepts a request to become the head forecaster for a Philadelphia television station. He goes for a trial time during winter. A calm, quiet winter where he can recharge. Until he discovers a series of potential events ready to clash.Taking over his family's position, Morgan Rylee Whittaker III feels the pressure to follow their lofty attitude, he can't stay hidden in the executive suites. He jumps into the chaos. Bumping into the meteorologist, Morgan feels a thump of arousal, but listens when Gavin locates a dangerous blizzard heading up the coast.Together, they protect and prepare Philadelphia from the incoming nor'easter. They dance around the steady beat of attraction brewing between them as the storm rages.

Storming Love: Blizzard – Stokes & Ford by Jackie Nacht (release date: 2/27/15)Ford and Stokes are about to weather two storms; the blizzard coming their way and their growing feelings for one another.Stokes has been rooming with Ford ever since the first day of college. Although his feelings had started out as friendly, over time, they have grown deeper. He's fallen for Ford, hard, but how the hell is Stokes going to tell Ford? When college winter break approaches, Stokes decides to take Ford up to his parent's rental to have a fun weekend with Ford and finally let his best friend know what he feels. However, with a blizzard coming in, they will have to weather the storm outside and in their hearts.

About the authors:About Sara YorkWriting is Sara York's life. The stories fight to get out, often leaving her working on four or five books at once. She can't help but write. Along with her writing addiction Sara has a coffee addiction. Some nights, the only reason she stops writing and goes to sleep is for the fresh brewed coffee in the morning.Sara enjoys writing twisted tales of passion, anger, and love with a good healthy dose of lust thrown in for fun. Almost a quarter of a century ago she met her lover, falling for him after knowing him for ten minutes. Sara's passion for him comes out in her stories, mixing with her passion for life, love, and good times, flowing onto the page and becoming tales from the heart.http://sarayork.com/sarayork/About Neil Placky:Neil Plakcy has been reading romance novels since he used to borrow Harlequins from his mother as a teenager. He is delighted to have his first M/M romance, GayLife.com, under contract with MLR.He is the author of Mahu,Mahu Surfer, Mahu Fire and Mahu Vice (August 2009), mystery novels which take place in Hawaii. Publishers Weekly called Mahu Fire "Engrossing... a sharp whodunit," and the book has received enthusiastic reviews from Library Journal, Out, In LA, and many mystery and GLBT websites.He is co-editor of Paws & Reflect: A Special Bond Between Man and Dog and editor of the gay erotica anthologies Hard Hats and Surfer Boys.Plakcy is a journalist and book reviewer and writes author interviews for Gaywired.com. He is an assistant professor of English at Broward College's south campus in Pembroke Pines, vice president of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and a frequent contributor to gay anthologies.http://www.mahubooks.comAbout RJ Scott:I am a writer of male/male novels and short stories.

Writing MM Romance with a Happy Ever After...

I am in awe that people read my writing and thank you all for taking the time to read, rate and review. Rj xxxxxAbout me...I live in the UK just outside London. I love reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror; however, my first real love will always be the world of romance. My goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and more than a hint of happily ever after.http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.ukAbout Vicktor Alexander:Vicktor Alexander “Vic” wrote his first story at the age of 10 about his youngest sister and her destruction of the world…with her breath. Much to his youngest sister’s dismay the story was a hit and became the first story of a series all dealing with the planets that were destroyed by his siblings and their strange quirks and body odors. Vic now enjoys writing about shifters, humanoids, cowboys, firemen, rent boys, fairies, elves, dancers, doctors, Doms, Subs, and anything else that catches his fancy, all sexy men falling in love with each other and having lots of naughty, dirty, man-on-man sex. Author of the best-selling series, The Tate Pack, Vic is a huge fan of the “happily-ever-after” ending. But while his characters all ride off into the proverbial sunset, all sexually satisfied and in love, they all bear the scars of fighting for that love, just like in real life. Out and proud, Vic does not believe that love only comes in one form, one race, one gender and that not only is gender fluid, by sexuality as well. Vic loves to make people laugh and when he’s not writing, or rather, procrastinating in writing, he’s reading, playing the Sims 3, hanging out with his very supportive adopted family, talking to his adopted daughter, whom he affectionately calls "Chipmunk", seeking the man or men who can handle his crazy, stressful, soap opera-esque life and being distracted from his writing by drooling over pictures of John Barrowman, Scott Hoying, Charlie David and Shemar Moore.http://vicktoralexander.comAbout Nicole Dennis:Ever the quiet one growing up, Nicole Dennis often slid away from reality and curled up with a book to slip into the worlds of her favorite authors. Over the years, she's created a personal library full of novels filled with dragons, fairies, vampires, shapeshifters of all kinds, and romance. Always she returned to romance. Still, there were these characters in her head, worlds wanting to be built on paper, and stories wanting to be told and she began writing them down whether during or after class. She continues to this day. Only recently has it begun to become fruitful, spreading out to let others read and enter her worlds, meet her characters, and see what she sees. No matter what she writes, her stories of romance with their twists of paranormal, fantasy, and erotica will always have their Happily Ever Afters.She currently works in a quiet office in Central Florida, where she also makes her home, and enjoys the down time to slip into her characters and worlds to escape reality from time to time. At home, she becomes human slave to a semi-demonic tortie calico.She loves to hear from readers and fans, so don't be shy. Find her on the net or send an email.http://www.nicoledennisauthor.comAbout Jackie Nacht:Short, sexy and sweet---where a little love goes a long way.

That's the best way to describe Jackie Nacht's stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. She began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights she stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter---yeah, right---she decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and at her webpage.www.jackienacht.com

Starting over sucks. At forty, Miles Koprowski thought he had life all figured out. He had a nice car, a hot young lover, and a cushy job… and then he didn’t. Call it fate, or karma, or a downturn in the market, but this opinionated cynic is now forced to play rent-a-cop in a dying office building in the burbs just to make ends meet. Throw in an unhinged ex, a coworker who hates him, and a hot new boss, and suddenly everything is uncertain. Miles doesn’t plan on liking the night shift or becoming embroiled in a mystery that reawakens old passions and puts him in danger. And he certainly doesn’t plan on falling for the overbearing head of security, Colton Decker, former soldier and doting dad. But nights like these can change a man, make him start to believe there’s more to life than a high paying job and a warm body in his bed. With a thief on the loose and his new job in jeopardy, Miles will have to decide what’s truly important. He might discover things he never knew he wanted… as long as he makes it through the night.

Categories: Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, MysteryAuthor Bio:CHRIS SCULLY lives in Toronto, Canada where she grew up spinning romantic stories in her head. When the tedium of a corporate day job grew too much, she took a chance and found her creative escape in writing. Always searching for something different, she has discovered a home in M/M romance and strives to give her characters the happy endings they deserve.Author Contact:https://www.facebook.com/chris.scully.authorPublisher: Dreamspinner PressCover Artist: Bree Archer

Excerpt:“Why don’t you watch where you’re going, dumb—” I managed to sputter before my mouth stopped working entirely and dropped open. The ability to speak, to think, deserted me at the first sight of the hunky stranger standing in front of me, his face contorted with apology as he tried to mop up my sodden jacket with a handful of napkins. He was a few inches taller than me—closer to six feet—and on the stocky side. His broad shoulders filled out a nicely tailored suit, and he projected an air of confidence that I’d never be able to pull off in a million years. He was clean-shaven too, with a dark buzz cut that made me long to run a hand over his head simply to feel the texture. And gorgeous. Did I happen to mention that?In short, he was the kind of guy you’d want to be stranded with on a deserted island; the kind you could count on to save you. If you were so inclined. Me? I didn’t need saving.A pair of friendly, light-colored eyes now stared back at me, bemused. Odd that his lips were moving, but no sound was coming out.“What?” I asked, blinking back to attention. I couldn’t remember the last timeanyone had literally made me speechless. Me, Miles Koprowski, who never met a silence he didn’t want to fill.Hell, I couldn’t recall the last timeI’d been on the receiving end of a full-body pat-down either. At least not so quickly. His hands were still drifting over my chest, wiping up the last drips of coffee, and the simple touch was doing alarming things to my heart rate.“Are you okay?” he demanded. “Did you get burned?” Before I could react, he seized my wrist and held my hand up for inspection. Strong, lightly calloused fingers, I added to my mental list. Working hands. Dumbly, I looked down. The skin on the back of my right hand was red and stung like a son of a bitch, but it wasn’t blistering. I did flinch slightly when he skimmed his thumb over the sensitive area, but not from pain, more from the touch itself. My entire body lit up, as though I’d stuck a finger in an electrical socket. “It doesn’t look too bad. I think you’ll live. Put some aloe on it when you get home.”“Doctor?” I croaked, because really, that would be too perfect.“Nope. Just seen a lot of injuries.” His lips twitched with barely contained amusement. “Sorry to disappoint you.” Sense of humor, check.

﻿Blogging and what you get out of it﻿

I had the opportunity to ask Chris about a blog post she's done that still resonates with her. I think her response would resonate with a lot of people.

I am a bad blogger; terrible in fact. When I first started my blog, it was with the intention of chronicling my writing journey, and I planned on updating it at least once month. But for some reason it always falls to the bottom of my priority list. It's mostly my musings on my experiences writing--which is why I don't promote it much--with some self-promotion thrown in when needed, and of course, my freebies. In some ways it's more like a personal journal, and it's interesting for me to go back and read things I wrote two years ago. I have to warn you though--it's pretty sparse.

The post that resonates the most for me is only a few months old. It's about staying positive in the face of discouragement. I was in a particularly low place at the time, struggling with this whole writing thing and plagued with self-doubt. Mostly I'm a positive person, but this can be a tough business; sometimes it feels so competitive (and occasionally vindictive) that it's easy to get overwhelmed by that and think you'll never be able to break through. The whole point of writing the post was to remind myself not to give up and to document why I write in the first place. I'm so glad I wrote it because it's still something I look at whenever I feel down or insecure about my writing career (which is often) and generally it works. It's become my mantra. Essentially it boils down to 5 steps that can be repeated as often as needed to get you through those difficult times:

Remind yourself why you are doing this? (hopefully it’s not to get rich and famous)